Neversaynever

Wow, just wow!!

Looking fabulous! Keep up the great work! I hope I am successful like yourself!

You look amazing and I bet you feel so much better. And no bat wing arms, what a blessing. Keep up the good work!

So I started at 304lbs ( 21' 10 ) for the uk'ers and blimey did I feel every pound!
I have lost steadily and I am now 245lbs (17' 7!) so very chuffed, and cannot believe how much my life has changed.
Here are a couple of before and afters, one at my heaviest and the other, two days ago for clarity.
I can't really see a massive difference myself but others have told me they can definitely see it, can you?

So I started at 304lbs ( 21' 10 ) for the uk'ers and blimey did I feel every pound!
I have lost steadily and I am now 245lbs (17' 7!) so very chuffed, and cannot believe how much my life has changed.
Here are a couple of before and afters, one at my heaviest and the other, two days ago for clarity.
I can't really see a massive difference myself but others have told me they can definitely see it, can you?

I am sleeved and have just had my 3 month results back. Everything was fabulous according to my doctor. Just a slightly lower score on something to do with my immune system which surprised me as I am a very healthy person who rarely gets ill. They did say that Biotin can sometimes skew the results so I don't know of that had any effect?

I take a Multivitamin, Biotin, cod liver oil, Omega 3 and a combined Vitamin D and C.

Have you lost some of the required 5% already?

Interested to see your journey!

Day of surgery at 383 (?), down from a high weight of 410 a couple months before. 6 months and 1 year progress pic. Down from a size 40/5x to a 16-18/XL.

Well geez. I am 3 months post op and I had a convention and had to eat out. I tolerate soft meatballs so I decided to buy 2 tablespoons of soft beef stew for lunch. Oh boy that was a disaster. When I left the mall and was driving to my event I had to pull over twice to vomit. My gosh did I feel sick for about 3 hours. awful awful awful. I just don't understand why at this point I cannot seem to get meats down. Its protein! And low carb which is important to me as a diabetic.
Has this happened to anyone before? it was projectile vomiting UGH!I am getting ready to Celebrate loosing 50 lbs!! Its only 1 lbs away. I am SO thrilled. I am traveling for the first time since my surgery to my 25th college reunion. Really hoping that I will be able to get by being overseas and no access to my usual go to foods. Guess it will be Protein Drinks galore.
I remember feeling like I would fail at this but here I am getting ready to celebrate 50 lbs after 3 months. I can clearly see how loosing another 50 by the end of this year is possible and I am getting EXCITED!
I bought my first 'regular size' clothing 2 weeks ago. A regular size large. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh that felt GREAT! I have not been able to fit into anything but plus size clothing for about 6 years so I was real fussy

I'm very happy for all of us. There have been struggles and learning curves along the way, but we're all headed in the right direction. YAY!!! From surgery date 5/3/18, I've lost 36 pounds. I lost 10 pre op, so 46 total. I know others have lost more but I'm happy with that as I've had a lot of NSV's myself. I'm very grateful for each and every one of them! The BEST one is that I'm able to move more easily and can breathe better. That alone is worth it. Plus, I'm 65 and was told my post menopausal metabolism would make it more difficult to get weight off.
My nutritionist still hasn't given me any calories goals or Protein goals. ??? Only 60 ounces of liquids daily and eat protein first. I'm glad I have this forum as I've been getting the 800 calories and at least 70 grams of protein a day that I've seen suggested here. For whatever reason, the nutritionist I have is practically useless.
All in all, I'm happy with my progress so far. I do hope that, even if it's very slow, I'll get at least 30 more pounds off. We'll see!

You look stunning, such a difference, well done x

Cats not impressed-Hmmn? Too bad you don't have a dog that demanded to,be let outside to escape the smells.
You know you make me wax Rodgers and Hammersteinish, paraphrase. "There is nothing like a Dame" from South Pacific. Are you ready?
There is nothing like a Poo***Nothing in the world***There is nothing you can do***That beats a heartfelt sincere poo!
There is nothing to stirs like a Poo***And Nothing that occurs like a.Poo*** Nothing clears the house like a Poo*** Repels a spouse like a Poo*** Nothing scares cats like a Poo***Makes them ask "What's That?" like a Poo*** There's not a thing you can. find*** Relieves the pain in your behind*** Like a Heartfelt Post- Surgical Poo!
Thank You, Thank,You, the line of Worshipful Admirers may form : Stage Left! And now I will put my C Pap back,on and go back to sleep! PS I am having that trouble presurgical, don't know if it's too many Protein Shakes or the Iron pills. Wonder if the local Bookmobile,lends out SquattyPotties?

A bit about me: I had the sleeve surgery in December 2017 period. I've lost a total of 181 pounds since last May, and now I'm looking to gain some muscle mass. I'm currently sitting at 225lbs pounds and 6'2.5" tall.
So many unanswered questions of not been able to find good responses to. Things such as how to start eating any calorie surplus now that I want to add muscle. Will I be able to eat enough to add muscle? Follow me on this thread and I will track my journey for any others that may follow the same path.
Starting status:
8/17/18 - 225lbs

The only thing I can come up with after thinking a minute. They feel they don't deserve any better. So often they have been told ( and yes I was told and believed) that obesity was something they willfully did to themselves. The old "Think Hard enough and You'll Never Get Fat" ploy, Closely followed by " Only stupid lazy people get obese"You're only doing this to get attention" and finally the one that hurts me Because of you pushing yourself to the front of the line, a younger more deserving person can't get an operation!" Ooh that one stings, because I have more earthly years I am vastly,undeserving? So my vote would be Self Sabotage. They are asking for what the outside world said they merited.

Are you currently on a PPI? Sometimes gastritis and/or excess stomach acid masquerade as hunger pangs. Are going too long between meals and Snacks that your stomach is empty? it may be saying " she used to throw juicy treats down here if I asked- what's with this austerity plan or measures?" I'm not HAPPY, and when I'm not HAPPY nobody will be permitted to be happy!"
You may be suppering from Bossy Bowel syndrome, inform your stomach who the real BOSS is.

This is me
i never had any intention to drastically change my lifestyle. A life on grilled chicken and celery is not appealing to me. Not even joking, I’d rather be fat.
My plan was after WLS to eat pretty strictly healthily to take maximum advantage of the honeymoon phase. During the maintenance phase to eat as normally as possible, just minimizing “junk” and eating smaller portions.
i haven’t been as strict in my losing stage as I had intended. I appear to have much more restriction than most people at my stage. I have relied on that. As long as it’s not a slider, and I haven’t found many sliders, I can eat so little' it’s like max 200 cals per meal. So I have relaxed, and it hasn’t seemed to harm my weight loss
During maintenance, I plan to eat “normally”, ordering what I want from a restaurant menu for example. Eating bread, Pasta etc. What I don’t plan to do is have junk food Snacks in the house like chips, Cookies, regular ice cream etc. I might have these out on occasion, but not to sit around the house so I can eat them to excess. I also plan to not drink as excessively. I look forward to fitting in and having a few drinks, but not the 10+ I would regularly consume sometimes multiples times per week.
Why I’m hoping this will work for me is I gained my weight slowly over the years. In the last 8 years I have lived a lifestyle of constant dining out and drinking. I made no attempt at all to make healthy choices. I literally ate what sounded best at every opportunity. I gained about 60 lbs in those 8 yrs. My logic is if I gained relatively slowly while completely ignoring my food intake, then a with moderate amount of control I should be able to maintain, especially if I have reasonable amount of restriction.
i could be completely wrong. If I am I am willing to reevaluate and find what will work for me. I love my new found body. I am going to invest in plastics. I’m too damn happy feeling sexy af to let myself have significant regain.
The only things I’m not willing to give up is ethnic food, and eating freely when traveling on international vacations. Other than that I will do what is needed to find that balance during maintenance.

Still on my journey. From a size 22 in the pic on the right to a 12 dress. Still dropping and i feel great!

Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

To the weight loss surgery patient slider foods are the bane of good intentions and ignorance often causing dumping syndrome, weight loss plateaus, and eventually weight gain. Slider foods, to weight loss surgery patients, are soft simple processed carbohydrates of little or no nutritional value that slide right through the surgical stomach pouch without providing nutrition or satiation. The most innocent of slider foods are saltine crackers, often eaten with warm tea or other beverages, to soothe the stomach in illness or while recovering from surgery.
Understanding Slider Foods
The most commonly consumed slider foods include pretzels, crackers (saltines, graham, Ritz, etc.) filled cracker Snacks such as Ritz Bits, popcorn, cheese snacks (Cheetos) or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips, sugar-free Cookies, cakes, and candy. You will notice these slider foods are often salty and cause a dry mouth so they must be ingested with liquid to be palatable. This is how they become slider foods. They are also, most often, void of nutritional value.
For weight loss surgery patients the process of digestion is different than those who have not undergone gastric surgery. When slider foods are consumed they go into the stomach pouch and exit directly into the jejunum where the simple carbohydrate slurry is quickly absorbed and stored by the body. There is little thermic effect in the digestion of simple carbohydrates like there is in the digestion of Protein so little metabolic energy is expended. In most cases patients in the phase of weight loss who eat slider foods will experience a weight loss plateau and possibly the setback of weight gain. And sadly, they will begin to believe their surgical stomach pouch is not functioning properly because they never feel fullness or restriction like they experience when eating protein.

The very nature of the surgical gastric pouch is to cause feelings of tightness or restriction when one has eaten enough food. However, when soft simple carbohydrates are eaten this tightness or restriction does not result and one can continue to eat, unmeasured, copious amounts of non-nutritional food without ever feeling uncomfortable.

Many patients turn to slider foods for this very reason. They do not like the discomfort that results when the pouch is full from eating a measured portion of lean animal or dairy protein without liquids. Yet it is this very restriction that is the desired result of the surgery. The discomfort is intended to signal the cessation of eating. Remembering the “Protein First” rule is crucial to weight management with bariatric surgery.

Gastric bypass, gastric banding (lap-band) and gastric sleeve patients are instructed to follow a high protein diet to facilitate healing and promote weight loss. Bariatric centers advise what is commonly known among weight loss surgery patients as the “Four Rules” the most important of which is “Protein First.” That means of all nutrients (protein, veggies, complex carbohydrates, then fat and alcohol) the patient is required to eat protein first.
Protein is not always the most comfortable food choice for weight loss surgery patients who feel restriction after eating a very small amount of food. However, for the surgical tool to work correctly a diet rich in protein and low in simple carbohydrate slider foods must be observed. The high protein diet must be followed even after healthy body weight has been achieved in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid weight regain.


Feature courtesy of BariatricPal.com

I am in the mood for a grade-A pity party and you're all invited!
Some of you know that I'm 3.5 months post-op and got cleared for solid foods at 6 weeks. My formerly cast-iron stomach is now made of blown glass (thanks for the visual, @Frustr8) and can't tolerate much of anything, especially anything that looks or feels like solid food. I decided a couple of weeks ago to give up on solids for now and stick with mushy foods, like Soups and yogurt. I thought I'd try solids again in July.
About 3 weeks ago my surgeon sent me to get an upper GI done to see if he could figure out why I was having so much trouble with solids. I had a follow-up with him yesterday to discuss the results. My esophogus doesn't work! I've never even heard of that! Apparently, the muscles in your esophogus are supposed to contract in a coordinated, rhythmic pattern to push and guide food down to your stomach. Instead of getting coordinated ballroom dancers, my muscles are more like the lanky guy that looks like a spider on a hot plate. The muscles just randomly contract all over the place and do nothing to help the food get to the stomach. So, when I've felt like the food was backed up to the back of my throat, it really was. That was why I was miserable for 2 hours after eating anything solid. My esophogus "tube" literally got stuffed and didn't empty. I've also got severe acid reflux which he thinks can make the esophogus even worse, besides the possibility of acid erosion and increased chances of esophogeal cancer.
So for now, he told me to stick with mushy foods until I see him again in September. At that point, he'll run some more tests and decide if I need a sleeve-to-bypass conversion. It wouldn't help the esophogus muscle contractions per se, but by lessening the chances of acid erosion it would keep the esophogus from getting any worse. He doesn't know when or if I will ever be able to handle real, solid foods like beef or chicken. Fortunately, I can eat ground meats if they are in a liquid, but absolutely nothing without liquid. Fish is fine since it was always on the mushy-food list, but 1 oz. max. And, absolutely no breads, rice, etc. as they would be easily stuck.
I guess I never noticed the problem because I always drank so much with meals that I would just wash the food down. The doc doesn't want me doing that though, probably because that makes it so much easier to overeat. Anyway, he says he's never seen anything like this in the thousands of surgeries that he's performed. Lucky me! WAAAAAAH!
OK, rant over. Feeling better now Thanks for "listening"!

I wore a pair of strappy sandals that previously wouldn't do up, not that I could bend over anyway to do it or that I could get that close to my own ankle!

But now, I can do both!

Ever since I can remember, I have been the "fat guy". That is what I was known for. I never took my shirt off at a pool or a beach, ever! That is something I want to change though. So, my best friend who I graduated high school together has always been much slimmer, popular, girls flocked to him; I sure you get the drift. Although we have been friends for over two decades I feel he never took me seriously because of my weight. At parties, clubs, bars, social situations I was always the one who was ignored and not payed attention too. Well, he moved out of state and we see each other about twice a year. He has a very stressful job and as a result has been emotionally eating and gained a significant amount of weight. He is one of the few that know that I had my surgery and he is very supportive. We saw each other for the first time in over a year last week and guess what...drum roll.....I weigh less than him. He even made a comment on how I was flirting with the waitress at the restaurant we met at. It felt like I was in his shoes for once. It felt truly that the tables have turned.

I am almost 56, I was sleeved 6/27 and I feel like (and I’m not exaggerating in the least ) like I had a miracle happen to me. I have struggled with my weight my entire life and the past 15 years were the worst between getting divorced and raising two kids on my own . food became my emotional escape . I became a very large woman who felt super uncomfortable with herself . Everyday of my life I beat myself up over and over for allowing myself to become obese . Dieting became a no win situation and I honestly lost a tremendous amount and self esteem throughout the years that I hung onto and increased my weight .
Now ... only 8 weeks post op and I feel like another person . I’ve lost 35 pounds pre and post which on me makes a huge difference .
The first three days post op were the worst but within a week I was walking easily 4 miles a day . It’s quite an adjustment to eat in such a different way, but it’s worth every sacrifice when I am gaining my confidence back and feeling hopeful and optimistic about the future .
When I look in the mirror, it shocks me ! I look like I did years ago . It’s like I got my old self back and it feels so good!
So yeah ... at almost 56 , I’m feeling like I’m 40 again ! And I’m only 8 weeks out 😀

Thank you!!!! You get it exactly. For 30 of my 40 years I have been obese. I ate and drank what I wanted when I wanted. This has been a major change in my life. This hands down the hardest, most eye opening experience of my life. At this point I have been on a strict hardcore diet for at least the last 6-7 weeks. My husband has been a great support. I felt like we both deserved a night out as a treat. While we had a nice time and it was awesome to find out how cheap of a date I am now (it was good to get out as a couple again) we both agreed it just wasn't the same and that a we could find new things to do together that don't necessarily involve food.
And yes, the surgery worked...and I am grateful for it. Part of learning to live again after WLS is definitely a learning curve. Just because you feel mentally prepared doesn't mean you wont have to deal with old habits. Its trial and error and you find what works best for you. Thanks for your words of encouragement.

Maybe I should clarify that at my one month post op I was cleared to resume normal activities as tolerated. You know the saying opinions are like a-holes? This goes for doctors too. If you read these forums you will see just how different pre-op and post op diets/rules are depending on the surgeon or practice.
As for beer "eroding" my staple line; Would you say the same thing if I said I drank a fountain coke? I could understand your worry if I had said I drank a six pack. The fact is beer is heavily carbonated, and like soda, we are to refrain from it because it is empty calories and can cause excessive gas - which you have after surgery anyway.
Why on Earth would I do that? Because I am a normal human being and being social is part of that. I am not swearing off alcohol for life and I wanted to see how it effected me since I was cleared by my doctor. Thank you for your judgmental concern.